I can paint you as a monster. And if I say it often enough, enough people will believe it.
In a Sunday interview, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a sweeping explanation for why American goodwill toward Israel has eroded: the rise of social media, which he believes hostile nations have learned to weaponize with near-surgical precision. His diagnosis arrives at a moment when polling shows fewer than a third of Americans view Israel favorably, a shift he frames not as a verdict on Israel's conduct but as a triumph of narrative manipulation over truth. The admission carries its own quiet weight — a leader of one of the world's most sophisticated intelligence states conceding that the battle for perception may be slipping away.
- American public support for Israel has fallen to historic lows, with only 32% viewing the country favorably — a collapse Netanyahu describes as tracking almost perfectly with the geometric rise of social media.
- Netanyahu alleges that multiple foreign governments have developed sophisticated methods to game social media platforms, deliberately poisoning the information environment against Israel in ways that dwarf Israel's own counter-messaging efforts.
- Despite stopping short of calling for censorship, Netanyahu openly admitted Israel has lost the propaganda war, a rare and striking concession from a leader known for disciplined public messaging.
- The military campaign against Iran, though described as significantly damaging, remains unfinished — enriched uranium stockpiles, nuclear sites, proxy networks, and ballistic missile programs still demand action, Netanyahu warned.
- The interview lands as a signal that Israel's leadership sees the information battlefield and the physical battlefield as equally consequential — and equally unresolved.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down with CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday and offered a pointed diagnosis for the erosion of American support for Israel: social media, and the foreign powers he believes are deliberately weaponizing it. The correlation, he argued, is nearly perfect — as platforms have grown, backing has declined in near-lockstep proportion. He pointed to Israel's extensive civilian-warning efforts as evidence that the problem lies not in Israel's actions but in how those actions are being framed and amplified online.
Yet Netanyahu was careful to separate the rise of social media from what he sees as calculated interference by hostile states. Several countries, he claimed, have mastered the art of gaming these platforms to damage Israel's image. He stopped short of endorsing censorship, but made a candid admission that surprised many observers: "Israel is besieged on the media front, on the propaganda front, and we've not done well on the propaganda war." He illustrated the power of narrative with a blunt demonstration — telling his interviewer that with enough repetition, anyone could be made to look like a monster.
The polling data lends weight to his concern. An NBC News survey from March found only 32% of Americans view Israel favorably, against 39% who hold a negative view — with the sharpest declines among Democrats and independents. Republicans remain broadly supportive, but the broader trend represents a meaningful shift in the landscape of American public opinion.
On Iran, Netanyahu signaled that recent military strikes, while consequential, were not a conclusion. Enriched uranium, nuclear enrichment sites, proxy forces, and ballistic missile programs remain intact enough to demand further attention. "We've degraded a lot of it," he said, "but all that is still there, and there's work to be done" — framing the current moment not as an ending, but as an unfinished chapter in a longer and still-unfolding conflict.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down with CBS's "60 Minutes" on Sunday and offered a diagnosis for why American support for his country has cratered in recent years: social media, and the foreign powers he says are weaponizing it against Israel.
The correlation, Netanyahu argued, is nearly perfect. As social media platforms have grown in reach and influence, backing for Israel among Americans has declined in almost lockstep proportion. He pointed to Israel's extensive efforts to protect civilians—millions of text messages, phone calls, leaflets—as evidence that the problem isn't Israel's actions but rather how those actions are being portrayed and amplified online. "We have seen the deterioration of the support for Israel in the United States almost—I would say, it correlates almost 100% with the geometric rise of social media," he said.
But Netanyahu was careful to distinguish between the rise of social media itself and what he sees as deliberate manipulation by hostile nations. Several countries, he claimed, have figured out how to game these platforms in sophisticated ways, poisoning the information environment against Israel. He stopped short of calling for censorship—"I don't believe in, you know, in censoring them or anything"—but made clear that this foreign interference has inflicted real damage. "Israel is besieged on the media front, on the propaganda front, and we've not done well on the propaganda war," he acknowledged.
The Prime Minister conceded that Israel has made mistakes in its war against Hamas, though he insisted these were not intentional. He also seemed to acknowledge a broader point: that narrative matters enormously in shaping how nations are perceived. Using the interviewer as an example, Netanyahu suggested that with enough repetition and pressure, anyone could be painted as a villain. "I can paint you as a monster," he told Major Garrett. "And if I say it often enough, enough people will believe it."
The polling data backs up Netanyahu's concern about the shift in American opinion. An NBC News survey from March found that only 32 percent of Americans view Israel favorably, while 39 percent hold a negative view. The drop has been especially steep among Democrats and independents, though Republicans remain largely supportive of the Jewish state. This erosion in backing has unfolded against the backdrop of Israel's war in Gaza and subsequent U.S.-led military strikes on Iran.
On that front, Netanyahu indicated the conflict is far from finished. While the strikes accomplished significant objectives, he said, critical work remains. Iran still possesses enriched uranium and nuclear enrichment sites that need to be dismantled. The country continues to support proxy forces and pursue ballistic missile development. "We've degraded a lot of it," Netanyahu said. "But all that is still there, and there's work to be done." His comments suggest that military operations against Iran, despite their scope, represent a chapter rather than a conclusion in a longer struggle.
Citas Notables
Israel has gone to unbelievable lengths to get innocent civilians out of harm's way. We text message millions of text messages to them, make millions of phone calls to them, pamphlets, leaflets, you name it.— Netanyahu on "60 Minutes"
Israel is besieged on the media front, on the propaganda front, and we've not done well on the propaganda war.— Netanyahu
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
When Netanyahu says the decline in American support correlates almost perfectly with the rise of social media, is he arguing that social media itself is the problem, or the way it's being used?
He's making both claims at once, which is where it gets slippery. He's saying the platforms themselves—their speed, their reach, their algorithmic nature—create conditions where false narratives spread faster than corrections. But he's also saying foreign governments are deliberately exploiting those conditions. The first is structural; the second is intentional.
He acknowledged Israel hasn't done well in the propaganda war. What does that admission actually mean?
It means he's recognizing that even if foreign manipulation is real, Israel hasn't been effective at countering it or telling its own story compellingly. That's a significant concession. He's not just blaming external enemies; he's saying Israel lost a battle it should have been fighting harder.
The example he gave—painting someone as a monster if you repeat it enough—that's not really about social media specifically, is it? That's just how persuasion works.
Exactly. That's the oldest trick in rhetoric. But social media accelerates it, amplifies it, and removes the gatekeepers who used to slow down the spread of extreme claims. The mechanism is ancient; the scale and speed are new.
Does his argument hold up if you look at the polling? Democrats and independents shifted more than Republicans.
That's the real puzzle in his narrative. If foreign manipulation is the driver, you'd expect it to affect all Americans equally. But the shift is clearly partisan. That suggests something else is going on—different media diets, different values, different interpretations of the same events. Netanyahu's explanation doesn't quite account for that variation.
What about his point on Iran—that the war isn't over?
He's signaling that the military strikes were tactical, not strategic. They bought time and degraded capabilities, but the underlying threat—nuclear enrichment, proxy networks, missile programs—remains. He's essentially saying: don't mistake a successful operation for a solved problem.